Taiwan needs an opposition
In Saturday’s rally against President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), an estimated 30,000 people took to the street, proclaiming that Taiwan needs to maintain its sovereignty, make government finance more transpar ent, and in particular, improve its economy.
The rally should have gained praise for making use of democratic action. Instead, the rally was distorted by the media, who connected it to support for former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who is embroiled in allegations of a money-laundering scandal.
In the two weeks since the scandal broke, waves of discontent have been breaking over the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and lots of supporters quit the party because they were ashamed of Chen. Some former supporters even hope that the DPP will disappear.
The allegations surrounding Chen did indeed hit the DPP in the gut. However, the DPP is the second-largest party in the nation, and the only counterweight to balance the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
If the DPP disappears, chances are that the KMT will be catapulted to a position as the only large party in Taiwan. The lack of a balancing mechanism between parties in Taiwan will jeopardize the nation’s political future. In particular, Ma’s conciliatory China policy requires more constructive criticism by a strong opposition.
Therefore, I call on everyone to calm down. Do not go so far emotionally that you lose the ability to act rationally.
Hisao Wei-Hung
Beitou, Taipei City
A call for ‘bipartisan unity’
The article by Lee Min-yung (李敏勇), “Can Ma’s KMT secure Taiwan’s hereafter?” (Sept. 2, page 8), is inconsistent with Taiwanese history and is irresponsible toward its readers. I am not sure where Lee’s sources come from or if he simply creates an imaginary basis for his rhetoric.
The fact that the writer states, “After 100 days in office, public dissatisfaction with the Ma administration is running high,” is purely a smear tactic aimed at the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to avoid major embarrassment on the DPP’s side over the political scandal regarding alleged money laundering involving former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).
Determining whether Chen is guilty or not is the job of prosecutors and necessary in order to fight corruption. It is ridiculous for someone such as Lee to invent economic facts and attack President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) for not reviving the economy after the previous president literally destroyed it. Ma is not a magician and I am sure educated and responsible Taiwanese are aware of his limits.
As for smearing the KMT as “colonial China,” let me remind Lee that if he really believes in independence and is so ashamed of his Chinese ancestry, then he should change his name, because Lee is Chinese. He should likewise discard Chinese cultural ideas such as eating with chopsticks or drinking tea. After all, Lee describes Taiwan as its own country, and therefore exhibiting Chinese cultural mannerisms makes him a hypocrite.
I believe that Ma is very capable, educated and well spoken. That is what Taiwan needs. The only reason Lee accused Ma of negligence is because he does not understand bipartisan unity. Without the KMT, Taiwan would not have national healthcare.
Dear DPP supporters, it’s time for the men and women of your party to step up and be accountable like in any well adjusted industrial democracy; please do not use smear tactics to sweep your own party’s corruption under the rug.
To answer Lee’s question: Yes, Ma can bring Taiwan to the top again without hurting the sovereignty of Taiwan. The real question is: Does Lee really want the democratically elected president to succeed or is he too anti-Taiwan?
MIKE SHEN
New York
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